New Ulm weekly review., 1887-08-24

tArnlpssthe conversation, Mr.. Jenlfera
found being, of course, unknown
| tnrned on the death Of Mr.. Dacre
They do say, said one red faced,
gray whiskered man OF substantial
appearance ce -- they do say that the
| ghost has begun to- walk again since
| the Spuire's death
| What ghost?' asked g. younger
man with an increduIous laugh: as.I
never heard OF a ghost at Waterdell.
No, you mayn' t., said the first
man; but I've heard tell from my
father, times upon times, that before
squire Dacre come here, there was a
power OF queer things seen and heard
at Waterdell; and they say that since
he's dead they be come back
They say; who say?' asked a thin
weasel-faced farmer.
.'Well my man Marvel for one; he
went across by the spinney lastnight,
where he has been almost every even
| ing these thirty year, and he swears
that he saw some one walking up and
down the long path, and heard some
awful noises
Ali" said the thin man, with a
grunt, Marvel always were liar
| "Liar or no liar" said thefat farm
er rather angrily,. ''ny father saw
| the ghost himself sixty yearsago; Oft
| en;and often he has told me OF it; andI
believe the old Squire knew oft too,
| for he never laughed or scofed as
some fools do with significant sniff
when folk talked Of ghosts. =
And so the talk drifted on to other
matters, and Mr.. Jenifer was lett to
contemplate another element of alb
surdity introduced into his we'll ar
ranged commonplace existence, and
telt quite angry at the thought that
he Of all men should, by the irony OF
! fate, be brought into a ghost story.
But as he never had believed in ghosts
he did not mean to begin now; and
after inquiring mis- way to Waterdell
Hall he found that he must start at
once if he wished to reach there before
! nightfall. 1t was a somewhat dull
walk which led him at last along
marrow road ending in an abrupt de
scent. The high hedges on either side
had lost their summer beauty with.
out yet gaining the glory OF Autumn;
the few roseDerries were sickly look.
ing and withered and frosted with a
whitish blight, and their leaves hung
shivering on the twigs, while in the
fields beyond the evening mists were
already rising. The road turned
sharply to the right, and then Water
/ dell Hall lay before it's future owner.
To a cheerful eye it might have
| seemed Nesting in a bower Of green
cry; but Jenifer, out of tune with
things in general and tired with his
walk, saw in it's withdrawal from the
high road a guilty seclusion from OBJ
servation. Four tall Wellingtonias
rose dark and solemn above the little
wicket gate and cast gloom over the
garden path, in which some late ger.
anlums and petunias only served by
their touches Of brilliant color to &C
centuate the general melancholy. The
house itself instead OF boldly looking
| forth on the passers by, turned its
face away from the road, and had no
| prospect but the little bit Of garden
and the four sentinel trees.
The door stood open, and Mr.. Jeni-
Ter entered narrow passage where
no welcoming footsteps came to meet
his own; only Virginian creeper
torn by the wind tapped on the porch;
otherwise all was still. Mr.. Jenifer
looked round him for a moment, and
then went through the silent house to
the chief sitting room. 1t was neither
large nor high, but it had that indi-
vldual charm which only age and
years Of occupancy can give.
The old-fashioned mantle reached,
with its. dark rich carv-
.ings, to the ceiling, across which was
a massive oaken beam, nearly black
with age, the fireplace, with it's glaring
logs, gave out cheerful glimmer, re-
f1ected in the small quarries OF the
window opposite, over which hung a
carved scroll, whose inscription there
was not light enough to read Mr..
Jenifer breathed a sigh Of relief at the
comfortable appearance here, in con-
trast to the depressing aspect of the
rest OF the house; but instead of set
tling himself las he felt tempted to do)
by the the fire, he again went out to
look over the surrounding property.
Behind, the around rose abruptly, and
was bounded by a closely growing cop
I pice, through which a narrow path
seemed to strike in the direction OF the
village. The parson climbed the mill,
ASco'AAiso SAAS CopI1SC oA1 Lio ACLVS c1lu
1 standing on the highest portion of the
meadow, looked across the low hedge
at the last pageant OF the sunset.
Some elm trees were silhouetted
against the sky, athwart which lay
i bars Of rosy flame, tender and evane-
scent. One moment the dying light
leaped up brighter and throbbed
through all the burning heaven, and
| then suddenly it died away, and the
| day was not.
! Jenifcr turned and looked at the
! hall Already it seemed to be losing
itselfin the darkness which gathered
| round it, hiding in the recesses OF the
gables, drawing curtains OF mist over
| the twisted chimneys. The silence, en-
q tire and absolute, struck almost with
! oppression on the mind Of this man
accustomed to city noises; but even